Machiavelli's The Prince

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The Prince During the Renaissance period, the state came to be regarded as something that was made and is secular. Machiavelli, considered today as the founder of modern political science, was one of those who opened up this new route by dedicating himself in explaining ideas and theories regarding politics. But what made Machiavelli very famous in the world of politics is his most influential and controversial book "The Prince". He wrote this book based on his analysis of political leaders in the government during his time. It focuses on discussing necessary characteristics of the prince to successfully acquire and maintain its political power highlighting his well-known maxim, "the end justifies the means". Although his work is renowned …show more content…

In here, Machiavelli talks about two methods of becoming a prince that is to be chosen by the private citizens or by means of a criminal act. However, this chapter only focused on the latter way of becoming a ruler since the former way can be understood easily. In illustrating the arguments, Machiavelli used two characters of persons who performed crimes to attain principality. The first one is Agathocles, a military commander in Syracuse who is according to Machiavelli possesses abilities that made him a prince but in a nonvirtuous way, because to become a ruler, he massacred the leading citizens and the Senate after inviting them together for a meeting. Second is Oliverotto of Fermo, who also became a military commander and killed citizens amid feast with the assistance of his troopers who later terrorized the city for submission. These kinds of acts what Machiavelli pertains to as criminal means. He argued that these cruel acts, though evil, maybe be justified if done at once to build a prince's power and then swung to the regale of his people. Moreover, the prince having attained the principality is required to live with his subjects and should do all the injuries at once, if not, it is no longer acceptable. This second argument resembles Machiavelli's famous phrase “the end justifies the means”, showing that he approves bad behavior as long as at the end it will turn …show more content…

For example, in my paper, I was able to talk about principalities and territory, ways to acquire power and security. Machiavelli had discussed things that are relevant, existing and we need to consider for today. Although his book is often seen as ruthless and immoral, his arguments actually have sense and are supported by good examples and theories. Moreover, his views about politics and power is unique and different from others making the book both interesting and amusing at the same time to read since you will be able to discover and encounter new

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